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Friday, June 4, 2010

Food From Korea 2010 – Part Four

While in Korea, we had the opportunity to visit Jejudo for two nights. The last time I was there was exactly 10 years ago and I must say the little island has changed. The streets are all paved and it’s so easy to get around! We were fully able to get around ourselves with just a navi and rental car.

We were in a mart and I saw this! So cool. Spam in a pack! I’m told they now have this in the States as well, but I’ve yet to see it in person.

On our first night, we decided to be brave and go off the beaten path and eat at a hole in the wall. When we walked in, the place was empty and so we thought we were doomed. =P I have to say that this was our best meal in Jejudo. Not because the food was spectacular, but because the service was so great! When the lady found out we were from *Los Angeles* she got so happy and gave us extra meat. It was our CHEAPEST meal in Jejudo, but the food was just as good as the other more well known *sam gyup sal* places. Honestly, meat is meat is meat. =P Our meal ended up being less than $30! INCLUDING the alcohol. It doesn’t get any better than that.

For dinner, I wanted to try SEAFOOD because, hello! We’re surrounded by water. =P Those abalone were actually all ALIVE and moving around when the dish was first brought to our table. I ran to get my video camera (yes, I’m a sadist) but by the time I got back they were all dead. =/ Jejudo is known for their galchi jorim as well! I have a galchi jorim recipe on my blog already, but I’m going to update it sometime this week with flavors from Jejudo. I think the lady used some gochujang in her dish.

At dinner the second night we went to yet a different *oh-gyup-sal* jip. The food was very similar to the first restaurant we went to at DOUBLE the cost. From now on, we will never follow the guide books. The little chocolate harabang in my hand is the *famous* Jejudo gam-gyool chocolate. Basically citrus flavored chocolate.

The meal on the top is the adult menu and the meal on the bottom is the *kid’s meal* – cool huh? This was the breakfast that was included in our hotel package.

I wish they had this here!

View of the ocean.

View from up top.

Boong-uh Bbang! Loves.

And finally, the hae-nyuh halmoni’s hard at work. That’s all the food posts from Korea. I’ll be back with some new recipes shortly!

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A little note in 2010

I don't use any type of *dashi* in our household. Everything is seasoned with gook ganjang (soy sauce). I'm not a fan of using haemool (seafood) broth, so you will mostly see beef broth. Cooking styles differ from household to household, but this is how I was taught by my mom.

After blogging strictly about Korean food for the past two years, I sometimes find it difficult to find something *new* but I am going to try my absolute best and will be updating this blog regularly for the rest of 2010.

One of my goals when starting this blog was to make it *authentic* as possible. This is the stuff real Koreans eat. You might see sea snails (yup, I will be doing a gol-baeng-ih moochim recipe), octopus, squid, ggop chang, tripe, chicken gizzard, and maybe even bbun-dae-gi.

I've been told my cooking can be a bit on the bland side or *shing-guh-wuh* but that's how we eat in the KC household. If you find the recipes lack flavor, add more salt or soy sauce! =P

Korean Cooking

Korean cooking is unique in that there are SO MANY ways to cook the same dish. Even if you're a Korean cooking expert, I hope that by visiting this blog you can open your eyes to the various ways to cook Korean food.

Don't feel restricted! You don't have to follow my instructions to the TEE. I'm a bit Type-A myself so I LOVE it when there are measurements and guidelines, however, with Korean cooking following orders isn't always the best way to achieve maximum results. Each of us has our own preference when it comes to flavors and tastes, so make these recipes your OWN!

If you like it more spicy, add more red pepper! If you think it's too salty, next time decrease the gook ganjang. The point is, you have to adjust the flavors to suit YOU because at the end of the day, as long as your taste buds are happy~ that's ALL that matters!

So go and cook and change everything up! I'm always on the quest to find NEW ways to make the same dishes. If you have any recipes that are GREAT and yummy~ please do share!